disc jagger: Baltimore Disc Trip, Part 2 of 2: BALTIMORE PROPER

Yes, we saw the Baltimore row houses (read: projects). Hell, we even held a reading in the row houses.

Here's a photo of the artist Stephanie Barber and the poet/publisher Adam Robinson (of Publishing Genius). They are introducing the reading. Mark and I rocked the words and beers and some sweet-ass wine, oh my. I encouraged the writer Mike Young to repeatedly leap into the air. This he did.

We also saw the Baltimore crab cakes, by visiting the lively Faidley's Fish Market. This place was full of character (and characters). A man with a rolling cart tried to sell us socks. We decided on crab cakes and beer.

Mark and I thought about oysters, but Mark said you should only eat them in 'R' months. Faidley's also sells muskrats and racoons, if you are interested. Though this seems like a tourist "shock" thing, I did some research. They do indeed sell muskrats and raccoons.

But let's get to the disc: Druid Hill Park. Mark and I would play this course for two days. We were going to hit one other course outside Baltimore, but had things to do and would have lost time finding our way. Also, I don't trust Mark's GPS and we really liked Druid Hill.

Friday, after resting following our Black Course beat down (see earlier post), we met up at the course with Adam, the novelist Michael Kimball, and the artist, Joseph Young. The sun was dappling, a light breeze, perfect. I dropped some Diagram discs on Adam and Michael as a thank you for hosting us in Baltimore.

Diagram disc in the house

We would play off and on with these writers, with Mark and I putting in more rounds/holes than the rest (As Jags, we take this D golf thing a tad bit serious). I'd summarize these individual players this way:

Adam: Obviously a novice, but very eager to learn the rules and get better at the game. Enthusiastic. He needs to get another driver besides a 150 Leopard. He'll obviously keep improving as he plays. Putts very solid for a beginner. An aggressive putter. Gets the disc to the hole; most beginners do not.

Michael: A natural athlete. Has played less than a year and can par most holes on this course. Needs a greater understanding of shot selection and individual disc characteristics, but obviously that will come with time. Michael will most likely evolve into a very good (he's already good) disc golfer, if he maintains his current interest.

Kimball in the evergreens

Joseph: Joseph doesn't really have a game, but this is no criticism. He appears to view disc golf as a meandering, and that's just fine. The beauty of the sport is you can play with your own perspective. He clearly enjoys the camaraderie of a casual round. Joseph uses one disc, and that one he borrows from someone nearby.

The one thing that impressed me about Adam and Michael is their attitude and round play. Usually, they intuited where to be, where not to be (in people's lines, etc.), when to talk, when to not talk, the basics of etiquette. For new disc golfers, they had a good sense of the flow of a round. I'd also say they both have good mental games. Neither gets too flustered when things go badly, but both care enough to really want to get better.

Let's move on to the course. THE SCORES?

Fri: Druid Hill [missing first round] (I think it was Sean even and Mark +3)
Druid Hill Second round (M. Kimball played half): Sean -1, Mark +1

Sat: Druid Hill Third round (long tees) Sean +3, Mark +7
Druid Hill Fourth round (with 6 "X" holes): Sean +3, Mark +6

As you can see, we really mixed it up during these four rounds. We played short and long tees. We played some of the gnarly "X" course. We played with others and sometimes just us two. This made for some chaotic disc golf, but also kept things interesting.

Hole 1 is 221 (these distances from the short tees) and a pretty simple hyzer with a mid-range or lay-off driver. We buzzed this hole repeatedly with ace runs. Behind the hole is a gated cemetery, adding character. It is also on a hill with stunty evergreens. I say this to give you a feel of the course. Lots of rolling hills. Lots of 'catchy' trees in your way.

Hole 2 is very interesting. 323, but with massive R to L dogleg, the basket tucked way-ass under overwhelming evergreen canopy. A real thinking man's hole. You need a quality turnover/forehand, then real skill on how to play that second shot.

A typical hole 2 putt

Hole 3 played 365, with a giant OB road on your right. Designed to lure you into trying for a bomb and losing it over the OB.

Hole 4 was a tight drive through shafts between trees. Pretty ordinary, yet still asking for shot-making ability.

Hole 5 was a wonderful hole, only 249 but massively uphill and a shaped shot around many trees.

See the basket way up there?

Hole 6 was one of the signature holes. A 384 foot downhill turnover OVER two separate OB roads. There was a bench there and the locals said, "This is where everyone smokes pot." The next round we passed 6 players, on the bench, smoking pot. Behind hole 6 is a narrow trail-way entering into a dense curtain of woods, leading to...The X COURSE.

Ander, remember the Blair Witch holes in Denver? Yeh, like that...

This is actually one of the more groomed holes of the X Course. I might have taken more photos if I wasn't crawling through underbrush the entire X round. I took a 6 on this hole, BTW. Many of the X Holes back up into the Baltimore Zoo. At one point I saw an antelope watching Adam putt. OK.

Once you leave the X Course (actually the first 6 holes of--long story), you return to hole # 7 of the regular course. Uphill, over OB roads, basket tucked in an OB cove. Tough hole.

I'm driving hole 7 here. Note the giant road tee pad. All tee pads at Druid are long, flat, perfect.

Hole # 8 gives you options. You can under a big-ass tree or play a big-ass hyzer around. Would like to see how the Jags would have handled this hole.

Hole # 9 you throw over a road. In the road is a taxi cab, driver's side doors open. The owner of the cab is inside sleeping. The cab is full of garbage. Welcome to Baltimore...

Kimball, driving over the top of a cab.

You have now finished 9 holes. Back to the cars (good design). Get a beer, water, and prepare. The back 9 is considerably rougher than the front.

Hole 10 is a 261 wonderful D golf hole. A LONG and SEVERE R to L turnover, with a huge dropoff behind the basket. Just a great, great hole. Your disc wants to roll and roll. All around the basket is a road, more rolling...


Adam, under yet another tree

Hole # 11 a tight, tight L to R turnover or tricky forehand. Again, long and techy.

Hole # 12 is a 288 downhill, with OB behind basket. How do you stop a driver here? Mostly, you don't. The back 9 is clearly more thinking, more long AND accurate shot-making. The course has picked up intensity. There are 3 more X holes somewhere back in here, but we didn't play them or really understand where they were. Next time?

Hole # 13 is a quirky, tech upshot, with marble slabs in the fairway. Short, but we never play it well. The basket is on a roadway rise and discs roll and roll. A weird shot, a blind techy thing.

Adam, on headstone slabs

Hole # 14 is a tight canopy shot to a tucked basket on the side of a hill. Pretty typical for this back 9.

Holes # 15-17 play pretty similar (see above) with some quirks. Like hole # 15, where you have to drop your head or undergo a concussion while driving. You actually have to duck in your follow-through.